Fearless
by AshleighWrites97
Summary: Everyone assumed that Peggy Carter was fearless. Was she?


**Fearless**

 **By:** Crusher1701

 **Summary:** Peggy Carter is not fearless like everyone thinks she is. She has one fear that may cause a time sensitive mission to go wrong. Also Steve's mom shares Taylor Swift's philosophy, which is the quote that inspired this piece.

Everyone assumed that Peggy Carter was fearless; she certainly behaved like she was. However, like most people in her life, the people who said these things didn't know her very well. She was scared of some things, but she hid it well. Peggy Carter was absolutely terrified of open heights, and she never told anybody unless it was absolutely necessary, which was rare as she knew how to control her fear. Like when Steve had jumped out of Howard's plane over Austria, when she had been more afraid for his safety than her own. She knew that she and Howard were much safer in his plane than Steve was out in the open.

In fact, she found that she usually cared more about Steve's personal safety than her own. Steve made everything in this war worth it. She loved him more than she had ever loved anyone, even Freddie. And now, to any logical person, it would seem that Peggy would fear losing Steve more than she feared heights, but that was not the case, as Steve and the Commandos learned one day in the spring of 1944.

Peggy had finally been allowed by Phillips to go on a mission with Steve, and she did not want to mess anything up. It had taken her so long to get permission for this. She wanted to go in order to spend more time with Steve and his men, but she also wanted to go just to be with Steve on his own. Yet, she wouldn't let her personal feelings cloud her judgement. The few times she and Steve had spent together, just the two of them, Peggy remembered every moment because there were so few of them. He had been so shy in the beginning, and was still shy now, but he was coming out of his shell. It was quite nice to see; he had been without happiness for so long and if she could bring him the happiness that he brought to her, then she wanted to be with him more than anything.

She packed quickly, excited for the trip to Austria. Though her more recent memories of Austria still brought shivers to her, she still tried to remember it as it had been before Hitler, when she had gone with her father to Salzburg to visit an old friend of his.

When they left the following morning, the Commandos couldn't be happier that Peggy was going with them. They always had such a great time, and they could use the fun to help them get their minds off the danger that they would soon be facing.  
None of the Commandos had been back to Austria since Steve had rescued them, and they couldn't shake the they might be captured again.

Howard flew them to the dropsite, and Peggy thought she would be fine, until the time came where they had to jump.  
She was jumping second to last, right in front of Steve. But when the time came for her to jump, she froze up.  
"Peggy," Steve shouted over the howling wind. "What's the matter?"

"I'm afraid of height," she replied. "I thought I could do this, but I can't."  
"You can, and you will. Take my hand," he said, holding it out to her. "I'll never let anything happen to you, I promise."

Peggy took his hand and squeezed it gently. Together, they jumped out of the plane, and Peggy felt almost okay, the fear leaving her body quickly.

Once they all landed safely, Steve approached Peggy who, like the rest of the group, was busy folding her parachute. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

Nodding, Peggy replied, "I've always been scared of heights. I'm sorry, I should have told you. I could have compromised the mission."

"You didn't, and don't worry, your secret is safe with me," he assured her with a gentle hug.

"Thank you Steve, I'd hate to ruin my reputation of being fearless," she said, smiling softly.

"My mother once told me that being fearless isn't having fears, it's having the courage to face them," he told her. "So, you'll always be fearless to me."

"That's an interesting take on things," she concluded. "But if that's how we're going to look at things, thank you for giving me the courage to remain fearless."

"You've helped me in the past, it's the least I could do," he assured her, smiling at her again before leaving to go and talk to Bucky.

 _So,_ Peggy thought. _The assumptions everyone has are correct. I am fearless. Thank you Steve._

finis.


End file.
